Hostels in New Zealand Hostels in New Zealand

You are looking for hostels in New Zealand? Good news, you have come to the right place.

On this page we list every single city with hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostelz.com helps you to find your New Zealand hostel and compare its prices on the major booking sites such as Hostelworld, Hostelsclub and Booking.com. So you can sleep on a budget and save money while backpacking New Zealand.

All Cities in New Zealand

We list every single hostel in New Zealand and the world. In total, we have 111 cities in New Zealand for you. Please note that not all cities actually have a hostel to stay in. Below you can filter for cities with hostels and with no hostels-type accommodation, but guesthouses and budget hotels. This will help your planning.

All New Zealand hostels on a map

Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.

Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in New Zealand. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.

Our handwritten guide on Backpacking New Zealand

New Zealand is located in the Southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about a four hour flight from Australia. It's often called the backpackers paradise, a name gained not only for its remarkable safety, the abundance of places of interest, and the youthful and friendly attitude of the locals towards tourists, but also for the outstanding infrastructure and facilities that the country offers to budget travellers. Among young people, it's common to arrive in New Zealand with a work and holiday visa and stay in the country for a prolonged period of time, taking temporary jobs and travelling around in between. When visiting the country, one is spoiled with choices of things to explore. Given the relatively short history of the country, it does not abound with historic buildings and monuments. But the unparalleled beauty of its nature, the variety of landscapes it offers, and the authentic encounters with the Maori culture will definitely make New Zealand stay in your heart for a very long time.

The country is situated on two large islands, North Island and South Island. There is a spectacular diversity between the South Island with its fjords, glaciers, and mountain peaks that are covered in snow most of the year, and the North Island with its volcanic formations and tropical beaches. North Island is the smaller of the two, and despite its smaller size, it actually hosts both the capital city of Wellington and the biggest city of New Zealand, Auckland. It also has some places of great Maori tradition like Rotorua, Taupo, and New Plymouth. On the South Island you will mostly probably stay in smaller towns like Kaikoura, famous for whale watching, Motueka, the gateway to some great hiking and Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world.

The best thing in the country is that one does not have to travel far to find something completely new and breathtaking. The country will please both those longing for a solitude with its vast uninhabited spaces and beaches where you will bump into nobody for weeks (ideal for that would be places on the Coromandel peninsula, like Hahei or Punakaiki) as well as busy tourist spots where everything revolves around young people (like Wanaka, Queenstown, Franz Josef ,and Fox Glaciers). The country is one of the most popular around the world among the enthusiasts of extreme sports, like sky diving, bungee jumping, mountain biking, skiing, sea kayaking and white water rafting. As well as that, it offers some of the best hiking worldwide, with its 9 Great Walks that are tracks of outstanding natural importance and the Milford Track, which is considered by many as the most beautiful hiking track in the world. To be able to do the tracks and stay in hostels nearby, you will have to make sure to book a long time in advance. Your best bet is to look for a hostel in Te Anau as that is close to most of the Southern hikes.

Hostels all around the country are relatively cheap and of a consistently high standard. Cleanliness is of a high priority in most places, surprise extras (such as Jacuzzi spas or a free soup for dinner) are quite common. You can normally expect an extremely friendly, familiar atmosphere, and an emphasis on keeping the place cosy and well-serviced, with attention to each individual as opposed to the ambition of hosting a huge number of people. However, this also means that the best places fill up quite quickly, therefore, booking a few days in advance is definitely recommended.

All in all, in New Zealand, every effort is being made to keep backpacking as easy and enjoyable as possible and you are likely to encounter lots of other budget travellers on the road. Transportation relies mostly on long distance buses, with one of the two national companies selling packages of certain miles that you can use up on any of their buses within a given period of time and the other offering the first seat on every bus for only a dollar. Ferry transportation is easy and cheap between the two islands, but those who prefer can also take one of the many daily flights that operate between major cities of the two islands. Food is reasonably priced and eating in fast food and take away places won't blow your budget either.

expert for New Zealand hostels

Handwritten by local expert for New Zealand hostels JudyM

Travel Tips for New Zealand - from the Community

Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking New Zealand. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of New Zealand. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!

FAQ on Hostels in New Zealand

There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:

Finding Hostels and Prices

What hostel booking sites are best to use?

There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.

This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.

For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.

How much are hostels in New Zealand?

Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.

You can search for exacty hostel prices in New Zealand here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.

When to book hostels?

If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.

We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.

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Safety and Packing

Are hostels in New Zealand safe?

Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.

What to pack when staying in hostels?

There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.

  1. Padlock
  2. Earplugs
  3. Sleeping Mask
  4. Quick Dry Travel Towel
  5. Head Lamp

There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.

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